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Posted on Tuesday April 13, 2004
The payroll process has been completed and all HPOU members and PAC contributors who worked to make it happen – as well as those who focused their efforts on dissension – will see the major raise on our April 16 checks.
In fact, we are planning on having an all-day celebration at our building on State Street and expect the mayor and all City Council members to attend at some point during this special day.
Additionally, the HPOU executive board met with Chief Hurtt last Thursday afternoon. It was there that the chief directly stated that promotions were not frozen. He said he believes that – beyond the need to have supervisory positions continue to promote – it would be bad for the organization to take hope away from officers aspiring to move up the organizational ladder.
Finally, no one is going to steal our pension. It is guaranteed in state law and this mayor has no desire to hurt us or our pension. If Mayor White is successful in his effort to have voters support the opt-out provision of Proposition 15, he will be able to attempt to deal with the following:
- HMEPS guarantees a minimum 8% annual return on its DROP accounts while HPOPS guarantees a minimum 3% annual return.
- City executives can receive a 90% pension after 25 years due to the fact they are credited with two years of time credit for every year of service.
- The executive director of HMEPS, who is not a city employee, receives double-credit executive pension benefits from the municipal employee pension fund.
- HMEPS-covered employees contribute 4% to their fund and they also jointly contribute with the city to Social Security in order to receive Social Security benefits that compound their overall retirement benefit. (HPD officers in HPOPS contribute 8.75% to HPOPS and, if by chance we pay SS credits via extra jobs or other sources, our SS benefit is offset)
For more information regarding the Prop 15 issue and how it impacts HPD officers, please review the HPOU pension opt-out Q&A.
It will come as no surprise to anyone that there are continued attempts to plant the seed of discord in order to inflict even more emotional stress on officers who only want to do their jobs.
The truth is, we all should thank our lucky stars that we persevered and won the right to have meet-and-confer over the objections of HPPU leaders who opposed bargaining rights during the state legislative process in 1993, 1995, and 1997.
Given the city's financial condition, the contract has insured that all of us will get pay raises in '04, '05, '06 and '07.
Again, thanks to our friends in the Texas Legislature who supported our desire to have bargaining rights over the objection of those who wanted us to continue to beg and have nothing in place that would contractually bind the city to compensation, labor and working condition benefits with all HPD officers.
Without meet-and-confer and a strong PAC, we would have nothing.
HPD officers, by a 90-plus percentage approval ratification vote, delayed the '04 raise by six pay periods which enabled us to get more money for '05, '06, and '07.
The contract renegotiation enabled us to ignore the scheduled July 1, 2004 expiration date of our contract and institute a new expiration date in '07.
Can you imagine the shape we would all be in right now if we were attempting to negotiate for pay raises in order to deal with a contract expiration date that would have been 2 1/2 months away?
Make no mistake about it: The extension spurred by officers' acceptance of delaying the '04 raise saved all of us.
In conclusion, our ability to come together and advance strategies for all officers is what has made our Union successful.
Hard work and being prepared to fight battles for the greater good of all officers is the guiding principle of the HPOU.
That said, we all know that there will always be those who have never turned a spade of dirt who, instead, use their shovel as something to lean on so they can offer unsolicited criticism which is aimed at those who use their shovels to work and build something of benefit to everyone.
Mark Clark
HPOU Executive Director
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